Page 29 - Never Fly Solo

2| NEVER FLY SOLO
“Look to your left and right,” he says. “One of you won’t
make it through UPT.”
My breath catches.
Suddenly, my mind flashes back through the brutal years
I just spent at the Air Force Academy—four long years of
struggle, sacrifice, and hard work that got me into pilot train-
ing. And now this stranger is telling me I may not make it
through?
A flood of resolve courses through my body, through my
veins. I can barely stand still without vibrating.
The guy that doesn’t make it—it won’t be me.
I imagine my near future. I’ll solo the Tweet. I’ll earn
those coveted silver wings, and my parents will pin them to
my chest at UPT graduation. Then I’ll strap into an F-16 jet
fighter with thirty thousand pounds of thrust and lift off for
greater heights.
I grin inside. This is no longer a training program for
me—I’m now on a mission.
I commit to myself with a silent battle cry: I will do what-
ever it takes to fulfill my dreams. I will sweat; I will sacrifice;
if necessary, I will bleed. I will advance the throttle of my life
to full power and work my tail off.
I want those wings. I will push it up!

U U U

We all have dreams and aspirations that put a smile on our
face and a surge of eagerness in our heart. What are yours?
What launches you out of bed and into your day, ready to do
whatever it takes to succeed?
Are you willing to fight for that success?